The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
I’ve been put in charge of the Young Adult section at my bookstore, so I thought I’d get cracking on some of the books in that section. Now, I’m not reading any books based on Gossip Girl or The Princess Diaries, so I needed something more up my alley. And I found it.
The Hunger Games, book one of a trilogy, is a young adult Science Fiction novel like none other. Set in Panem, the country that rose from the burning ashes of North America, it is about a young girl named Katniss Everdeen. Katniss has grown up in District Twelve, the poorest of the twelve districts of Panem.
All districts of Panem are ruled by The Capital, located in what would be the Rocky Mountains. As punishment for their rebellion several decades earlier, all residents of Panem’s twelve districts must compete in The Hunger Games. Each year children aged 12-18 must enter a lottery and can be chosen to fight to the death in an arena of the Capital’s making for the entertainment of the masses.
Katniss finds herself in the arena and faced with the challenge of staying alive while ending the lives of everyone around her. The book is quite violent, but the violence is not glorified and the repercussions of the violence are always addressed, which I think is important in a young adult novel.
The story follows Katniss through the Games as she fights for her life, makes alliances, friends, and enemies. The characters are all sympathetic but realistic and the pacing is very good which makes it a tense and exciting read.
Once you start reading The Hunger Games you’ll have a hard time putting it down. Being a YA book it’s a quick read so it’s possible to finish this in one sitting if you have a couple hours to spare.
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